First, let me tell
you about the history and myths of the pomegranate.

The pomegranate, a
rosy-hued fruit, bursting with plentiful, ruby-red, jewel- like seeds, is one
of the oldest, cultivated fruits.

The ancient Greeks
believed it to have been planted by The Goddess of love, Aphrodite (Venus in
Roman mythology) on the island
of Cyprus.

Aphrodite(Venus)
Salvador Dali 1904-1989

Aphrodite was the goddess of love, desire and beauty.
Apart from her natural beauty, she also had a magical girdle that compelled
everyone to desire her.

There are two accounts of her birth. According to one, she
was the daughter of Zeus and Dione, the mother goddess worshipped at the Oracles
of Dodona. However, the other account, which is more prevalent, informs us that
she arose from the sea on a giant scallop, after Cronus castrated Uranus and
tossed his severed genitals into the sea, Aphrodite then walked to the shore of Cyprus. In a different version of the
myth, she was born near the island
of Cythera, hence her
epithet "Cytherea".

(Greek mythology.com)

Other stories have
the Pomegranate originating in Iran
or Afghanistan.

A story of love and
abduction, in Ancient Greek mythology, has Persephone, daughter of Demeter,
Goddess of harvest and agriculture, kidnapped by Hades, God of the underworld, who fell in love with her at first sight and carried her off to his kingdom,
the underworld.

Persephone descending into Hades

Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter and the
queen of the underworld. She was abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld,
infuriating her mother who made the crops wither and the earth barren. Zeus intervened
and tried to bring Persephone back to the world of the living; however,
Persephone ate the seeds of a pomegranate that Hades had given to her,
binding her to him for half of the year. Thus, it was decided that Persephone spend four months in the underworld and eight months on earth with her mother. (The number of months Persephone spends in each place, differs, according to different stories)

(Greek mythology.com)

Demeter, mad with
sorrow, hunted everywhere for her daughter Persephone, going as far as to
disguise herself as an old lady and with a lighted torch in her hands, roamed the Earth for nine long days and nine long nights.

Demeter, mourning for her daughter, Persephone.

Demeter was the goddess of corn, grain, and the harvest. She
was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. It was believed that Demeter made the
crops grow each year; thus the first loaf of bread made from the annual harvest
was offered to her. She was the goddess of the earth, of agriculture, and of
fertility in general. Sacred to her are live

stock and agricultural products, poppy, narcissus and the
crane.

(Greek mythology.com)

Finally, the sun God
Helios told Demeter that Hades had carried Persephone off to his underworld.

Demeter found Hades
and they struck a bargain, Persephone would live four months on Earth, with the
living, and eight months in the underworld. (The number of months spent in each place differs,depending on which story is read)

Map of the underworld, Hades, in Greek mythology.

The Greek underworld, in mythology, was an otherworld where souls
went after death and was the Greek idea of afterlife. At the moment of
death the soul was separated from the corpse, taking on the shape of the former
person, and was transported to the entrance of Underworld. The underworld itself
was described as being either at the outer bounds of the ocean or beneath the
depths or ends of the earth. It was considered the dark counterpart to the
brightness of Mount Olympus, and was the kingdom of the dead that
corresponded to the kingdom of the god Hades was a realm invisible to
the living and it was made solely for the dead.

(wikipedia)

Notice the Elysian Fields at the upper left hand corner of the map, the only good spot in Hades!

Before being set free
from the underworld, Persephone was persuaded to eat six pomegranate seeds (In
ancient mythology, to eat the fruit of one’s captor meant that one would have
to return to that captor), to make sure she returned to the underworld when her time on Earth was up.

That’s Hades hedging
his bets!

Ruby-red pomegranate seeds

This myth, one of
disappearing and reappearing, was the origin
of festivals in ancient Greece,
among them the Eleusinian rites, whose secrets were so closely guarded that
little is known about them today.

One festival that we
do know a bit about, is that, in ancient Greece, after the harvest, a three
day feast occurred, devoted to the Goddess Demeter, mother of Persephone, the
third day was devoted to women, where pomegranate seeds were eaten to guarantee many children and much prosperity.

Making pomegranate juice

Even today, young
brides in certain Greek villages, throw pomegranates through the door of their
new house, with such a force, that the pomegranate bursts open, scattering the
seeds.

This ritual is said to ensure a happy
marriage and the birth of many children.

Seeds like jewels

The pomegranate is a
seasonal fruit, ripening in the autumn, autumn being the beginning of the new
year in ancient times, wreaths, decorated with wheat stalks, walnuts and
pomegranates, adorned houses, much as is done today at Christmas time.

Christmas wreath with pomegranates and wheat.

In Greece, the
pomegranate is a symbol for the New Year, and is used as a decoration at
Christmas and New Year as a good luck charm.

The pomegranate is
also a biblical symbol, and is mentioned in the great religions of the world.

Pomegranate

Biblical symbol of love, beauty and marriage

Mohammed, the Muslim
prophet, advised pregnant women to eat pomegranates, a symbol of beauty, so
that they would bear beautiful children.

The pomegranate is
seen everywhere at Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, much as it is in Greece,
also, in Jewish mysticism (Kabbala), as in Greece, pomegranates are burst open
on religious days, as a call for fertility and prosperity.

Pomegranates to bring good luck

Another ritual, of
symbolic value involving pomegranates, used even before Christianity and still
performed today in Greece,
is the eating of koliva at funerals and memorials.

The Greek word
koliva comes from kolivos, meaning a small coin; in ancient Greece it was called pansperma,
(seeds or sperm) meaning a mixture of seeds and nuts.

Pansperma was
consumed at the pagan festival of Anthesteria (one of the four Athenian
festivals honouring Dionysus, held in the month of Anthesteria, spring time)

While recipes may vary widely, the primary ingredient is wheat kernels
which have been boiled until they are soft and then sweetened with honey or
sugar. Koliva also contains some or all of the following: wheat, sesame seeds, almonds,
ground walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, pomegranate seeds, raisins, anise and parsley.Romanians decorate
the koliva with crosses of cocoa, chocolate or candy. In terms of the Greek
Pantheon, the wheat symbolized the earth goddess Demeter, while pomegranates
stood for her daughter, Persephone, queen of the underworld. Almonds were
sacred to Aphrodite and raisins to Dionysus. Sesame seeds were considered to
open the doors of consciousness.

The practice of offering koliva at funerals and memorials is
traditional in Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria,
Romania and Moldova, Russia, Balkan countries,
and among Christians in the Middle East.

(Wikipedia)

Some religions
consider the pomegranate to have been the fruit of The Tree of Life.

Klimt

"The Tree of Life"

Owing to it’s wealth of symbolism, the
pomegranate has been portrayed in art for thousands of years, on pottery,
carpets, embroidery, fabric pattern and in some wonderful paintings.

"Girl With a Pomegranate"

William Bouguereau

"The Blood of a Pomegranate"

Stephen Mackey

Carpet with pomegranate design

Bukhara Suzani. Silk on cotton
19th Century

Uzbek Ottoman silk handmade embroidery

Suzani

William Morris

Wallpaper design; Bird and Pomegranate
We've all seen this one!

Now, about
Panagiotis, where shall I start?

Well, to keep with the theme, he grows pomegranates, acres
of them.

Panagioitis' pomegranates

Ancient Sikyon

Panagiotis not only grows pomegranates, but also, the juiciest of apricots and
peaches, the tangiest of lemons, the tastiest of mandarins, unique, flavourful
quince, and quality olives.

In the small village of Ancient Sikyon, located twenty two miles
Southwest of Corinth, Panagiotis and his father, Anastasios, run an organic
farm which has been in their family for three generations.

Ancient theater

Ancient Sikyon, Corinthias

Here, on these
sun-drenched, fertile plains, Panagiotis, and Anastasios, cultivate organically
grown fruit and vegetables of the highest quality and nutritional value.

Just
as Mother Nature intended, without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

Tasting the wares

In 2012 Panagiotis,
ever on the look out for something new, took things a step further by using his
traditional, organic produce to create delicious marmalade, jams, spreads and
juices, now available in supermarkets and specialty gourmet shops, throughout Greece.

Drypes organic pomegranate jam

Panagiotis' yummy pomegranate and apricot jam,
just a couple of his delicious flavours.

Drypes organic apricot jam

Enjoy all types of fruit, even when not in season, not unnaturally grown in some clinical hot house, something that goes against Panagioitis' beliefs, but dried.

Scrumptious as a snack or to enhance breakfast cereals, try them in homemade museli, or bake a fruit cake with them.

Dried fruit from Drypes

You will love the dried tomatoes, be creative, experiment with them, invent your own mouthwatering dish!

Drupes is the name of the company Panagiotis runs, drupes means any fruit that has a stone e.g plums, cherries, apricots, peaches etc.

Pomegranates in a bottle.
Enjoy the benefits of one of the most ancient "super foods" all year round.

Panagiotis, who
believes that fruits and vegetables should be used only when in season, not
grown unnaturally in a greenhouse, starts his pomegranate petimezi production
at the beginning of autumn, when the rosy fruit is ripe.

Pomegranate harvest

The fruits of Panagiotis' labours!

Pomegranates.

Harvested and ready to go.
Panagiotis works all the daylight hours that God gave us when bringing in his pomegranates. They can be found in major supermarkets and green grocers all over Greece, enabling us to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

Pomegranate petimezi, slightly less sweet than the more well-known grape petimezi but much more nutritious, is made from 100% pure pomegranate juice

This wonderful nectar
is absolutely full of vitamins, AB and C, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and
iron, pomegranates have been proven to contain more antioxidants than red wine
or green tea.

Petimezi,
from 100% pure pure concentrated pomegranate juice

Its uses are endless;
diluted with water as a cool drink in summer.

Or drizzled over yogurt or ice cream and when
mixed with balsamic vinegar, it makes a delicious dressing for salads.

Panagiotis is a true
nature lover, born to be outside, riding his motorbike or his ATV, tending to
his trees, feeding his hens, ducks, geese and peacocks, yes, he has peacocks!

Panagiotis' pomegranates
Ancient Sikyon

Panagiotis showed me
some tomatoes he has grown and explained to me how they are raised from ancient
seeds, all the way from Peru,
and a type of Asian cucumber, again, an ancient species.

This is not all, Panagiotis
has an artistic flair, he has created the most fascinating sculptures, made
from stuff you or I would have thrown out, old lamps, useless bit of metal
etc.

Panagiotis’ sulptures adorn his garden and
add a wonderful Bohemian touch to his house.

Panagiotis' work of art

Panagiotis’ aim is to
eventually be self-sufficient, to live off the land; I think he may very well
succeed.

I could visit
Panagiotis every day, there is always something new to learn, up there in his
little corner of Ancient Sikyon, and besides, I do have a soft spot for him, he
reminds me so much of my son, Johnny, both in looks and character.

Panagiotis

My son John

Both lovers of nature
and the great outdoors, and oh yes, anything with an engine and wheels!

4 comments:

Oh another lesson that I've had today thanks to you and your blog. We just this year 'discovered' pomegranates as 'back home' in the States they are expensive and not particularly good. Our first houseguests bought us a pomegranate tree for our garden that came with two on it ready for the picking. We are now hooked and hoping for an even bigger crop next year!